Alcohol and Violence in a Nonmetropolitan College Town

• Author: William Alex Pridemore,Aleksandra J. Snowden
• Published date: 01 July 2013
• Date: 01 July 2013
• DOI: http://doi.org/10.1177/0022042613475788
• Subject Matter: Articles

Journal of Drug Issues

43(3) 357 –373

© The Author(s) 2013

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DOI: 10.1177/0022042613475788

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Article

475788JODXXX10.1177/0022042613475788Journal of

Drug IssuesSnowden and Pridemore

1University of Wisconsin–Milwaukee, USA

2Indiana University, Bloomington, USA

Corresponding Author:

Aleksandra J. Snowden, University of Wisconsin–Milwaukee,

Department of Criminal Justice, Enderis Hall 1139, Milwaukee, WI 53211, USA.

Email: snowdena@uwm.edu

Alcohol and Violence in a

Nonmetropolitan College

Town: Alcohol Outlet Density,

Outlet Type, and Assault

Aleksandra J. Snowden1 and William Alex Pridemore2

Abstract

This study examined the association between alcohol outlet density and violence in a non-

metropolitan college town. Nearly all prior empirical research examining this association has

been undertaken in large urban cities. Using data on Bloomington, Indiana, block groups, we

estimated ordinary least squared and spatially lagged regression models to determine whether

alcohol outlet density was associated with assault density, and we also took into account the

seriousness of violence (i.e., simple and aggravated assault) and different alcohol outlet types

(i.e., off-premise, restaurants, and bars). The results showed that total alcohol outlet density was

significantly associated with both simple and aggravated assault density in a nonmetropolitan

college town. In addition, restaurant and bar densities were significantly associated with simple

assault density, whereas off-premise and bar densities were significantly associated with aggra-

vated assault density. These results not only extend the geographic scope of this relationship to

nonmetropolitan towns but also have important policy implications.

Keywords

alcohol outlet density, alcohol outlet type, assault density, college town

Introduction

Although it became clear early on that alcohol consumption often accompanies violence (e.g.,

Wolfgang & Strohm, 1956; for comprehensive review, see Levine, 1984), U.S. criminological

research on this topic did not fully develop until the early 1980s. Since that time, a growing

literature that examines the structural-level association (e.g., social disorganization, land use

patterns) has joined that assessing the individual-level association between alcohol and violence.

This literature, using geographic units such as census tracts, cities, states, and nations has

revealed a consistent relationship between alcohol availability and violence (e.g., Norström,

2000; Roman, Reid, Bhati, & Tereshchenko, 2008), and more recent studies have shown that the

358 Journal of Drug Issues 43(3)

strength of this association may vary by type of alcohol outlet (e.g., Gruenewald, Freisthler,

Remer, LaScala, & Treno, 2006).

While much of the structural-level research on alcohol availability and violence has

appeared in noncriminological journals (e.g., Graham & Livingston’s, 2011, work appeared in

the Drug and Alcohol Review), several criminological theories (e.g., Cohen & Felson, 1979;

Shaw & McKay, 1942; Stark, 1987) may aid in explaining an association. First, it could be that

the association between alcohol and violence exists because some alcohol outlets are located

in socially disorganized neighborhoods and, as such, are immediately surrounded by physical

and social disarray (Sampson & Raudenbush, 1999; Shaw & McKay, 1942). Another theoreti-

cal explanation for this relationship may be the appearance of alcohol outlets and their imme-

diate environment. If the alcohol outlet is unkempt, for example, it may signal to potential

offenders that norms are ambiguous and that the owners of those establishments might not

intervene when conflicts arise (Stark, 1987). Alternatively, it could be that the alcohol and

violence association can be explained by the routine activities of individuals who consume

alcohol, or the convergence in time and space of motivated offenders and suitable targets in the

absence of capable guardians (Cohen & Felson, 1979).

This study contributes to the existing literature in several ways. First, we take into account the

seriousness of violence by examining the density of both simple and aggravated assaults. Second,

we recognize that different types of alcohol outlets (i.e., off-premise, restaurants, and bars) may

be differentially associated with violence. Third, we estimate spatially informed regression mod-

els to control for possible presence of spatial autocorrelation. Fourth, we use smaller units of

analysis, block groups, than most prior studies. This is especially important because using larger

units of analysis (e.g., cities, zip codes, states) may obscure the fundamental nature of outlet

density (Parker & Wolz, 1979) and can increase the likelihood of aggregation bias. Focus on

smaller units of analysis is in line with recent work in environmental and spatial criminology that

argues that smaller units of analysis are more appropriate both theoretically and empirically

(Weisburd, Bernasco, & Bruinsma, 2009). Finally, the key innovation and contribution of this

study is that we test the association in a nonmetropolitan college town. Most prior studies that

examined the relationship between alcohol outlet density and violence have done so in large

urban areas (e.g., Chicago, Washington, D.C.), and ours is among the first to test the association

in a nonmetropolitan setting.

Literature Review

The association between alcohol and violence was found both at the individual and structural

level (e.g., Gustafson, 1994; Pridemore & Grubesic, 2011). At the individual level, alcohol con-

sumption can encourage violence by disrupting normal brain function and weakening brain

mechanisms that control impulsive behaviors (Gustafson, 1994). In addition, alcohol consump-

tion impairs information processing in individuals, so that the individuals under the influence of

alcohol are likely to misinterpret social cues and overreact in their violent response (Clements

& Schumacher, 2010). However, violence can also result from expectations that individuals

have about the effect of alcohol, rather than the direct effect of alcohol itself. For example,

Gustafson (1994) suggested that alcohol consumption may promote violence if individuals who

consume alcohol expect that alcohol consumption will lead to increased violence (also see

Chermack & Taylor, 1995; Dermen & George, 1989; Gustafson, 1985).

Findings of empirical studies that move beyond these individual-level explanations for the

association between alcohol and violence point to a strong association between alcohol outlet

density, alcohol outlet type, and violence. In general, a significant relationship between the

density of alcohol outlets and violence rates has been found in a number of empirical studies